Jaslene Massey: A Relentless Champion in Track and Field

Jaslene Massey, a senior at Aliso Niguel High School in Aliso Viejo, has been named The Register’s Orange County Girls Athlete of the Year for 2025-26 after a remarkable track and field season. Massey set a national high school federation record in the discus with a throw of 196 feet and 4 inches, surpassing her season-best mark by about 7.5 feet.

The feat was described by her coach, Patricia Lusar, as "the craziest thing." Massey also won state titles in both the discus and shot put at the CIF State Championships, becoming the first Orange County girl to sweep those events since Natalie Kaaiawahia of Fullerton in 1983. In the shot put, she posted a personal-best 53-2 at Arcadia, and claimed her third consecutive CIF-SS Division 1 title and second straight CIF-SS Masters crown.

Her discus achievements included sweeping Division 1 and Masters championships for the second consecutive year. Beyond track, Massey was a four-year varsity volleyball player as a middle blocker, and she also competed in figure skating as a youth.

In the classroom, she earned a 4.34 grade-point average and was selected Wolverine of the Year by school faculty. Massey, who signed with the University of Oregon, said her mentality is to be "relentless," inspired by motivational speaker Tim Grover’s quote: "When you’re ahead, get even further ahead." She will compete this week in the USA Track and Field under-20 nationals and the Nike Outdoor Nationals at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field.

Aliso Niguel athletic director Andrew Mashburn called her "one of the most talented, motivated and influential student-athletes Aliso Niguel, Orange County and California has ever seen." Massey’s mother, Popi Edwards, also competed in volleyball and track at UC Irvine. Massey wrote an essay to speak at Aliso Niguel’s graduation.

She said she thrives on competition and aims for larger meets like the Olympics and World Championships.